St. Louis emo five piece Foxing are back at Union Transfer tonight after tearing it apart back in December. The band is touring to support their 2015 album, Dealer. Opening the show will be Tancred, Lymbic Systym, and ADJY. More information can be found here.Continue reading →

Philly folk rockers Up The Chain have premiered The Prison Break over at Glide Magazine.

This is the first album from Up The Chain whose first EP Windows Into Worlds was released last year. Singer-songwriter Reed Kendall has previously released two albums under his own name. Singles from the album that have already been released were “Sidecar” and “Crumbling The Stone“. Continue reading →

Up the Chain bring some new music to Bourbon & Branch tonight. We recently premiered the trio’s single “Sidecar,” an track written by frontman Reed Kendall a few years ago that got a rejuvination for the band’s upcoming LP The Prison Break. Tonight’s show sends Up the Chain off on a European tour; pick up tickets here and listen to “Sidecar” below.

Philly singer and songwriter Reed Kendall and his band Up The Chain have always been spoken of interchangeably.

“[Up until this year], it was essentially a solo project with a lot of loyal compadres helping out,” Kendell tells me. “It wasn’t a band in the sense of being the others’ first priority. But I even hesitate to say stuff like that, because their contributions were incredible. All the guys I played with are fantastic, and every time I played a show, it felt like a band.

Kendall pauses, and continues: “But at the end of the day, when I wanted to do something, I’d see who was available. And if people weren’t, the show went on.”

This approach served Kendall well on his 2011 debut full-length Holy, Open, Drying Road, and the followup LP Seeds and Thorns, released in November of 2013. Gusts of spectral Americana mixed in blues, soul and southwestern swampy sounds to give the records and shows a nice Tom Waits / Kris Kristofferson / Randy Newman vibe: husky and mysterous, but with an impeccable pop sensibility. This spring, Kendall locked in the trio of Noah Skaroff on bass and Kirby Sybert on drums and released the EP Windows Into Worlds, the first release from Up The Chain as a full-time power trio.

“The Hardest Stone” is the first track from Up The Chain‘s latest EP, Windows Into Worlds, and the song now has a great new video to go along with it. Matching the catchiness and jubilation of the song, the video features the band sing and dancing along while making pancakes for morning breakfast. Continue reading →

“Windows Into Worlds” marks Up the Chain‘s second single as a fully-committed trio, and is also the title track off of their upcoming EP, scheduled to be released April 21.

The new song, released this week, is telling of the diverse sound from the Philly indie-rock group. It’s gentler (solely vocals and piano), compared to the rough guitar riffs on “The Hardest Stone,” the first release off of the upcoming EP. When vocalist Reed Kendall croons, “You’ve got all of me,” make no mistake– it’s a love song. Continue reading →

Up The Chain used to encompass frontman Reed Kendall and various musicians enlisted for live performances. Now, a fully committed trio has been formed, and the first release from the group, a track titled “The Hardest Stone” – which you might remember the band playing during its Key Studio Session last year. The song is crisp display of Kirby Sybert on drums and Noah Skaroff on bass, mixing fittingly with Kendall’s smooth vocals and guitar riffs. You can listen to the track via Baeble Music. Continue reading →

Bringing back some of the jazz history of the newly-remodeled Ortlieb’s, evocative Philly trumpet player Paul Gless plays a set tonight with his eight-piece band. His music ranges from interpretations of songs he heard growing up in a Unitarian Universalist church and emotive, introspective compositions. Outside of this group, Gless’ work has pushed the boundaries of what jazz can be, incorporating electronic textures and synthesizer sounds, and his trumpet playing has scored independent short films – including the surreal Des Images Clairesby Tailor Wilcox, where the score has a sultry Hollywood jazz vibe. Joining the Paul Gless Group tonight is Tom Moon’s Ensemble Novo. Tickets and more information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. Continue reading →

This is a song for a rainy day. “For To Give Away,” taken from Up the Chain‘s second full-length Seeds & Thorns, represents the band’s sonically softer and more soulful side though the lyrics and the video, which we’re premiering here today, are full of inner and outer conflict. Continue reading →

Tonight, Johnny Brenda’s will help raise money for the documentary-in-progress, Voice Of The Eagle: The Enigma Of Robbie Basho, a study of the late and influential steel guitar player and composer. Performers will include Daniel Bachman, a fingerpicking folk guitar player who is a master of the six strings, along with Arborea, a husband and wife duo from Maine, Check out Daniel Bachman’s amazing NPR Tiny Desk performance below. Tickets for the show can be purchased here. Continue reading →

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH